2005 Windsor Oaks Vineyard Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
(Windsor, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County)

We always want to create a wine or two each year that is fun to drink, but is still crafted with the same care and attention to detail as our Pinots. This wine is somewhat of a departure for us, as this Sauvignon Blanc is both our first white wine and our first dessert wine. The grapes were harvested at 39 Brix, when they were half-raisined, and the juice was pressed directly to barrels. After a very long, very cool fermentation, the wine finished at 14.9% alcohol and 12.9% residual sugar.

Our Late Harvest reads like a distillation of the character of Sauvignon Blanc: overlapping aromatics of honeysuckle, sweet hay, and pineapple balance the palate flavors of ripe honeydew and fresh chile. A core of vivid acidity brings focus and cohesion to the wine, which rides through a notably penetrating finish.